Friday Afternoon – Breaking the Ice
by omniFAIRYous
Summary: An ordinary afternoon. She was without her friends. He was without his companions. The ice of social preconceptions break as a new potentialfilled friendship begins. Short story of Lily and James and a certain embellished notebook.


Friday Afternoon – Breaking the Ice 

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter world or its canon characters. This is written purely for my and anyone else's entertainment.

Summary: An ordinary afternoon. She was without her friends. He was without his companions. The ice of social preconceptions break as a new potential-filled friendship begins. Short story of Lily and James and a certain embellished notebook.

~*~*~

Quidditch practice had been canceled, at least for James Potter the seeker. While the rest of the team was practicing their maneuvers, the seeker was told to take a rest. _That's right,_ James thought with a small smile on his lips, _no Quidditch maneuver is going to trouble James Potter._

Actually, the Gryffindor was told to take a break due to his ugly injuries from a week ago. Cuts and bruises from the animagi form don't disappear with the form. They actually are worse on the human. The one practice James was in since the time of the injury had resulted in his cuts being torn open once again. The Quidditch captain for Gryffindors immediately called for James to heal. The broom is off limits to him and he cannot get any more scratches and cuts unless he doesn't want to be a seeker anymore.

Now the sixth year a Hogwarts student was wandering around the halls attempting to entertain himself. He had finished the homework that he wanted to do the night before. The Defense Against Dark Arts assignment was the only unfinished paperwork. James glared at the half-filled parchment in his left hand. He might as well work on this since there isn't anything else he could be doing. Remus was tutoring Peter and Sirius was at the Quidditch practice.

Yep, James Potter was left alone for the first in many years. _Oh all right, months. I was by myself for the first two weeks of summer before the beginning of this term_.

Trotting towards the library, James painfully – to him it was – moved his feet and the rest of his body to get to the large collection of books.

~*~*~

            A sixteen-year-old girl was sitting in a secluded corner of the grand room containing books. Her History of Magic essay was lying completed, across the long table. Stacks of books concerning Dark Arts, Charms, Magical Plants, and Transfiguration laid about the surface of the work desk. The quill was sitting in the inkbottle. A mass of red hair spilled across the largest clearing on the table.

            Lily Evans was sleeping in the library using her arms as pillows. Her small nose was the only feature of the girl that could be discerned from the curtain of red hair.

            That was how James Potter found the girl.

~*~*~

            James continued to trot once he entered the library. Madame Pince gave him a disapproving look while the Gryffindor slowly made his way to the study tables. James walked pass the first set of desks, then the second, and a few bookshelves later he reached his favorite spot in the library. The large table for studying was placed next to a window between two bookshelves. The little section of the library provided privacy as well as a perfect view of Hogwarts's grounds.

            James turned towards his own sanctuary in the collection of books. Instead of finding an empty table with chairs around it, James saw his long time crush resting, in his sanctuary, with her head in a arms and her small nose pointing through the mass of red hair.

            At the risk of sounding clichéd, James noticed how the way the glass window dispersed the sunlight made Lily seem like an angel. Her thin strands of hair sticking haphazardly upward caught the golden rays creating a halo with a tint of orange.

            Subconsciously, James fingered his parchment causing the crackling sound of dried paper. Lily immediately sat up at the noise. Her hair was still a mess and a thick red line of where her arm had been marked her pale cheek, which actually made her looked adorable. _Only Lily could look so beautiful after sleeping. She is the one that puts beauty into beauty sleep_, James mused.

            "Hi Lily," James began quietly. The familiar queasy feeling in his stomach flared increasing its usual intensity by multitudes. And this time, he was without the company of his friends. The only comfort was Lily was away from her own group of acquaintances as well. Of course, James hadn't done anything wrong yet so Lily should not have any ammunition to lecture him.

            "Hm?" was Lily's tired reply. She stretched and blinked to clear her eyes of sleep. "Ooh, hello James." The boy was rewarded a toothy smile that to him, lit up the entire room. 

            "May I join you?" James asked timidly. "I'll leave when I am done with my Defense Against Dark Arts essay." The topic was school lessened the knot in his stomach. He was more at ease not.

            "Don't you have Quidditch practice?" Lily asked. "And where is that snitch you always carry around?" No sharp tongues or lectures yet. James Potter seemed to be free of a fiery Lily for the first time since their first year at Hogwarts.

            "I was told to rest. And if I was caught near anything related to Quidditch, I would be punished." Lily quirked a delicate eyebrow at the response. James had desperately hoped Lily wouldn't further interrogate him on the issue. The conversation would be directed to why he was punished leading to his injury, which would transpire to explaining about Remus, animagi, and another trick on Snape.

            "Isn't it enough punishment for you to not be allowed to be near Quidditch?" Lily questioned with her smile still in place.

            "Definitely, but having extra hours to myself isn't too bad," James replied with a smile. "I get to finished my homework early and – "

            "Plan more pranks," Lily finished knowingly. James opened his mouth to defend himself. "Actually, you don't need to explain. I don't really care."

            The condescending look on the redhead's face didn't alleviate the tied-up feeling James was feeling every time he saw her. From the way their conversation is going, it might end up being a whispered argument on the legitimacy of pranks and why the Marauders should receive harsher punishment.

            "What's that?" James asked diverting the subject to a page of a notebook Lily was playing with.

            "It's nothing." Lily answered uncertainty soaking her reply. A light blush had crept onto her face taking the place of the red line. James moved close to glance at the sheet only to have Lily snatch it behind her. All he saw clearly was a decorated notebook with lilies decorating the cover. A page slipped out of the notebook as Lily seized the notebook from James's view. Both went for the piece of paper on the ground. James got a hold of the paper this time.

            The two sixteen-year-olds bumped their heads and landed on their behind.

            "Don't tell me it is a letter to your lover. Or maybe it is a love letter for yours truly!" James teased waving the paper. Lily's hand tried for her page again, but the seeker reflexes that James was gifted with caught her hand. "What's so special about this paper?" The girl had snatched her hand back and was shaking her head vehemently.

            James opened the parchment and began reading. The paper was filled with words in Lily's handwriting.

_What is intelligence? What is being smart?_

            Is there a certain standard for intelligence? Muggles have the IQ to rate the mental potential of an infant . . .  I have been called intelligent so many times that the compliment is useless. In fact, every time I hear those words, I feel ill. People hold too many expectations for me . . .

            James looked up from the parchment only to see Lily looking away at the window.

            "You wrote this?" he asked aghast by what he had read. "Stupid question, sorry. But that's interesting. I must agree with you on how intelligence is overrated." Lily had turned to look down at him like he was insane by the end of his comments.

~*~*~

            _Damn Potter and his quick reflexes!_ Lily cursed as she got up and turned away to refrain from wringing her housemate's neck. Thankfully the page was not one where she would truly be embarrassed, like about the section devoted to Lily's opinions on love. That was the one she had been working on. It was certainly a blessing when James didn't get _that_ sheet.

~*~*~

            "I never said intelligence was overrated," Lily countered in a soft but firm voice.

            "You never directly said so, but it was implied," James retorted without missing a beat. He stood up as well. "You mentioned how a simple compliment such as 'you are so smart' is an indication of people's expectations. You tone you used showed you unhappiness at the connection. You have brought up examples of how some people are gifted with the talent of learning quickly. You have also been unhappy about that too. To counter the others gift, you complained about how one of ordinary IQ must work harder than the gifted to earn the same grade." _Ha!_

            "But that still doesn't imply intelligence is overrated," Lily replied stubbornly. "Intellect is not overrated. Those who are smart are good for the world if they chose to use their brainpower for good. The only thing I did imply that was overrated is people commenting on intelligence." James uncharacteristically rolled his eyes at Lily.

            "You wrote an entire notebook on intelligence?" James asked in shock a few moments later. It was Lily's turn to roll her eyes.

            "No dummy," Lily chided. "I am not that strange." The explanation was lame in James's ears. Perhaps he hit the wrong chord asking that question. It did surprise people why James liked Lily to the point of it being an obsession. Lily was diligent in her studies therefore qualifying for the title of prefect. She had her own circle of close friends, but they weren't the type others called "cool" like the category the Marauders fit in.

            "I don't think it's strange. That is actually a great idea," James amended quickly. Lily only shook her head slightly with a smile. "So what's in your book, if you don't mind me asking."

            Lily took out her notebook once again. She looked at it hard for a few minutes as though she was asking permission to reveal its secrets.

            "This? I suppose you can see it. But you are only allowed to see some of the sections. I am not done with the others yet." The girl placed her book on the table and retained her seat. She scooted over a few inches to allow James a place. The seeker took a seat right by Lily, the closest the two has ever gotten when they weren't fighting.

            "This notebook was given to me by my godmother," Lily began as she opened it to the cover page. "She gave it to me so I could write my musings and such. My parents had complained about me reading too much fantasy and fiction during the summer, so I had to do something worthwhile. The other argument for writing in this notebook was the fact that it would be like a memoir of my childhood. I would read it when I was older, and read into my creepy little mind at the age of sixteen."

            "So this is an ordinary notebook, like a diary?" James asked now curious.

            "Now, this book has little words of inspiration that I could write about based on that word. See, here is the page of family. And no, you may not read it."

            For the rest of the hour, James and Lily flipped though the book having little philosophical talks about the inspirations they passed. Some were filled while others had blanks. James would put in his two cent and Lily would add his opinions to her notebook in ink charmed to a different color.

            "I still don't agree with your opinion on friends," James complained as they cleared the table to get ready to return to their common room. "They are your companions for a lifetime. I don't see how you can say they are merely tools in life."

            "I don't mean it that way," Lily explained exasperated. They had been arguing about the meaning of friendship for the past twenty minutes. "There are some friends who are there for a lifetime. Others are less permanent. You get in a tiny fight with them and the friendship gradually lightens to mere acquaintance. You wouldn't understand anyway, James."

            "Why wouldn't I? I am a person who needs friends as well," the other fought back. Lily's outlook on friendship had severely disturbed him. If he were a mind doctor, he would say the girl is on the verge of depression or something, well, perhaps not that harsh.

            "It's different with your friends," Lily tried to clarify. "You have had the same circle of friends for the as long I have known you. The Marauders would be your permanent companions. They stick with you through thick and thin as the cliché goes. You have went through detentions together, lectures from McGonagall, and of course you constant torment of Severus Snape." Lily pointed out the last part in disdain.

            "Yes, that just proves friends are companions for a lifetime."

            "You are the lucky people in the world who has companions like the Marauders," Lily congratulated him with a sad smile.

            "You as well. I have never seen girls react so fast every time Snape insults your origins."

            "That's a proof of their temporary allegiance to me. Remember our fourth year? Ellen had been my closest friend since first year. She ended up spreading rumors of me as a heartless woman who will never give my heart to any man, even woman as well." James nodded in recognition. Ellen has warned all the males away from Lily while the females were told to be hesitant to befriend the redhead unless they want intervention in an annoying third voice in their love lives.

            "I suppose I see your point. Why were you so against Ellen and that boy from Hufflepuff dating anyway?" James asked finally voicing his curiosity about the whole affair.

            "I got to know him a bit when we first attended Hogwarts, the first impression wasn't a good one. Throughout the terms, I heard more things about David -- that's the boy from Hufflepuff's name – which I didn't like. It didn't make him a bad person, just not one I thought would fit Ellen."

            "Isn't it exactly the interfering she was referring to?" James asked. Lily's happy disposition turned polar opposite. The smile that was awarded to James while they were having discussions turned to a frown and a glare.

            "Do you remember what happened to the couple?"

            "They broke up. On Valentine's Day, David asked Ellen out again only to dump her at the end of the term," James replied dutifully. A seething redhead, especially Lily, is not one to be disobeyed.

            "Exactly."

            "So if Ellen had taken your advice, she wouldn't have gotten heart broken twice."

            "Yes," Lily finished with a smile.

            "Why don't _you_ ever date?" Lily blinked at James's boldness in asking her that question.

            "I—I don't know. I guess lasting relationships don't happen often like how you rarely find true friendship." The girl glanced out the window again. "Perhaps I do read too much fantasy," Lily added with a blush accompanied by a wistful smile.

            "The type where the damsel in distress is saved by her gallant prince or knight and they ride on his white horse to the sunset?" James prodded. _You never know when this would come in handy_. This was especially important since he was trying to woo Lily.

            "That's impossible to happen. Besides, I wouldn't want to get caught helpless with a charming man rescuing me as my only light of hope."

            "That's right, you'd probably fight your own way out leaving the prince wondering how he arrived at the scene with a dead troll and a dozen boggart parts," James teased once again. This meeting with Lily actually made him more at ease in the presence of his, as Sirius calls her, Lady Love.

            Lily had laughed along with the description of the female warrior princess. James couldn't help but notice the melodious ringing of her laugh. He drifted off him his daydreaming of Lily once again.

            They would be walking hand-in-hand along Hogwarts's lake. Like Lily's fairy tales, a colorful sunset would be in the background. A squid tentacle would wave at them and Lily would lean towards him with a smile and . . .

            "James? Are you awake?"

            James blinked out of his revelry. Somehow Lily's face was quite close to his, or at least closest they have ever gotten. One glance at her emerald eyes and James was lost again. It took most of his willpower to snap out of his happy fantasy.

            "You didn't get to work on your essay," Lily noted giving him his half-written parchment.

            "What?" James took the paper from Lily's hand briefly touching her soft skin. Once again, the seeker wonder how it would feel to be able to hold her delicate hands whenever he felt like it, a privilege given only to, probably, her boyfriend. James looked at the parchment with disdain. "Oh right, I can work on it tomorrow."

            "You don't like Defense Against Dark Arts very much do you?" Lily inquired with a smile.

            "Not really. The class doesn't quite appeal to me." James looked at Lily's reaction, _probably a lecture on how important such classes are._

            "I like it. Besides, it is a mandatory class to be an auror," Lily confided with another blush.

            "You would like to be an auror?" James asked with a smile.

            "Don't laugh. I know it seems strange. I mean, me, Lily Evans, an auror fighting offenders in ministry decrees of dark arts. It does sound strangely unlikely . . . yet very much possible."

            "I won't laugh," James comforted. "My parents are aurors. I suppose you could speak to them and I am certain they would love to tell you all about the profession."

            "Really?" He was awarded with bright smile. "That would be nice."

            "Yes it wo—"

            "Jaimeee! Pron— " the loud noise belonging to a certain Sirius Black rang through the library, which was quickly followed by the librarian's stern lecture on the importance of silence.

            "I have to go before Sirius get himself into more trouble," James explained. The lack of response from Lily made him wonder whether that comment was necessary. He wanted to get another smile or laugh from Lily, not stony silence. "I'll see you around then."

            "Certainly. I'll be here quite often. My friends are getting a bit annoying freaking out about their NEWTS. I may be a prefect, but I am no bookworm." This time, the smile lost its brilliance. She stuffed her quill and inkbottle into her bag, slung it on her shoulder, and walked out of the little sanctuary with a small smile of goodbye.

            "Lily." James called out timidly. He wasn't sure if his voice was loud enough, but she had heard nonetheless for Lily turned around. "Will I see you here next Friday? I won't be able to practice then either." The swaying of the red hair signaled a yes. The mass of red disappeared out of the library. James then walked out of the study corner with a goofy grin on his face.

            "Woah Prongsy!" Sirius welcomed him with a manly hug, more like a slap on his back. "That smile means something good happened. Did you get lucky during practice? I just saw Lily out walk out of here. You didn't kiss her did you? Or at least get cozy?"

            "Lily?" Peter added surprised. "That seems highly unlikely. She hates us and our pranks. You have heard of her lectures."

            "I don't know," Remus joined with a secretive smile that only James noticed. "Our James is a charmer."

            "Yeah right," Sirius retorted. "If he was a charmer, they would have been dating for a while now . . ."

            James allowed his friends the privilege of discussing his love life, or the lack of one as the case may be. That didn't bother him too much. After all, he had plenty of girls paying attention to him. But what is important is that Lily seemed to like him, or at least not despise him as he had thought before the meeting, the one where Lily had shared multiple secrets with, of all people, him. James Potter.

~*~ fine I s'pose ~*~

Omni Note:

Well, that was lovely. I suppose it is a stand-alone. Not sure why I did that. For one, I have three or four other stories going on. Grrr. I was going to have them talk about love, but that's too touchy for a first meeting between two people who are not necessarily friends. Anyhow, I suppose I could go on. But if I do choose to do so, it would take awhile for me to find the next topic for the two to talk about. Unlike Lily, I don't have of notebook where words or phrases that are inspirations for discussion are on the tops of pages.


End file.
